How To: Simple Basil Pesto.

No household should be without some basil pesto stashed in their freezer. It’s flavorful, simple to make and is hands down, THE BEST last minute throw together meal. Ever. As a busy working mama I need all the help I can get come dinnertime and anything I can make ahead of time and freeze is always appreciated. Pesto is a saving grace because you can make up a big batch of it in mere minutes and store it in the freezer for a rainy day. This means you will always have a meal on deck, and one that’s healthier and even faster than ordering take out. That’s right! I said faster than ordering take-out. Using a couple of frozen cubes of pesto from your freezer and some dry pasta means dinner can be on the table from start to finish in the time it takes to boil the pasta water. This is a god send on those days when you are too tired to cook or (gasp), forget to take something out for dinner.

Pesto takes seconds to prepare and it not only produces one killer pasta sauce, but it’s equally spectacular in so many other delicious ways.

Other Uses For Pesto Beyond Pasta:

-Mixed up with some mayo for a creamy and flavorful sandwich spread.

-Stired into beaten eggs for a pesto flavored omelet or frittata.

-Thinned out with some extra olive oil and drizzled over a simple Caprese (mozzarella and tomato) salad.

1/4 cup pine nuts or any other of your favorite nuts (walnuts and almonds are delicious too).

1/2 cup parmigiano reggiano cheese, grated

zest and juice of 1/2 lemon

1/2-2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil (depending on how thick or thin you want the sauce)

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Instructions:

Combine the basil, garlic, and pine nuts, grated cheese, lemon zest and juice in a food processor or blender and pulse until coarsely chopped.

Turn machine on and stream olive oil through the feed tube. Process until fully incorporated and smooth. Season with salt and pepper.

To Freeze:

Place pesto into a clean ice cube tray and cover with tightly cover with a layer of plastic wrap and foil. Freeze for up to three months. Thaw on the counter or the fridge or mix ice cubes right into hot pasta or tomato sauce to melt on their own.

Christina Stanley-Salerno is a recipe developer, food stylist, photographer and blogger at Takebackyourtable.com. She has an intense passion for the family meal and as a work-at-home mother of two growing boys, knows first-hand the challenges of trying to get a meal on the table—FAST! Before going freelance, she was on-staff at Every Day with Rachael Ray where she had the pleasure of working alongside some of the best in the food business. She is now a full-time work at home mom, writing recipes for everyone from Kiwi Magazine to Parents.com. Creating simple, quick and healthy meals is her specialty and her trick to keeping the family meal a reality, even on busy weeknights. Follow her on Twitter @TakeBackTables